The return and reinstatement of Pagan Amum as SG of SPLM & implications
By Steve Paterno
The return and reinstatement of Pagan Amum back to his former position of Secretary General of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) has been causing a flurry of discussions among South Sudanese nationals and in this case, it warrants a perspective and context. The flurry in a whole has been expressed rationally as well as emotionally, generating mixed reactions in the process. And for a better understanding, this requires what the future holds for South Sudanese people as explained below.
Pagan Amum, who until two years ago was the Secretary General of South Sudan’s ruling party, the SPLM. The last of his tenure witnessed a turbulent experience. He was first suspended, then investigated for corruption, and was eventually dismissed from the powerful position of country’s ruling party. After a failed coup attempt in late 2013, Amum along with his other accomplices, were implicated in the plot to oust the president via a violence means. The Amum’s group who were caught in the plot were then charged for treason and imprisoned. With the mounting foreign pressure, President Salva Kiir, whom they were conspiring against, handed them over under the custody of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. The handover was done under the conditions that they were still facing further charges down the road base on their subversive activities.
While in exile, the group, comprises of only ten individuals, with invisible foreign hands behind them, formed a formidable bloc in the negotiations process. They began to challenge both the government of South Sudan and the armed opposition, by presenting themselves as alternative party in the ongoing conflict.
However, since the group could not find its way to be party to the negotiation, they resorted and settled for intra-party negotiations. The intra-party negotiations resulted into what came to be known as Arusha Intra-Party Agreement, an agreement, which calls for the reunification of the SPLM and a promise for internal party reform. In other words, the agreement ensures the rebellious SPLM cadres to regain their former positions, as long as they are willing to come back home.
As such, lost of position, corruption charges, and subversive act of treason are the least of Pagan Amum’s troubles and challenges ahead, since, he is once again being retested in a position he so well failed in. The challenges ahead are not in any way exhaustive or limited to the following below, for they are numerous:
1) Lack of Trust: Pagan Amum faces one of the most challenging tasks to fulfilled, and it is called, ‘trust.’ Besides the nine individuals who stood along with him throughout their treacherous acts, along with some foreign agents, the challenges remain ahead are that, there are more souls and hearts for him to win over so as he can be fully trusted. He should starts build that trust with an elected President that he orchestrated to oust, and then follows by the victims of his actions, and ensures the rest that he hurts because of his ego.
2) Selfishness & Ego: The number one enemy of Pagan Amum is none other than himself. He is his own enemy. Selfishness and egoism has been driving Pagan Amum to the tittering edge. For some misconstrued reasons, which earn those of Pagan Amum group a name of “Garang Boys,” Amum immediately baptised himself, the forbearer of John Garang legacy. Since, John Garang unfortunate passing away, Pagan Amum assumed the John Garang mantle and respect no one in SPLM hierarchy than himself. He started fighting with comrades from within the party and those fight in most part took to the public as oppose to being an internal affairs that could be resolved without dragging it into public domain. The last straw of such challenges was when Pagan Amum dared on his quest and hit the snag by attempting, a veteran of his own right, Salva Kiir Mayardiit, the President of South Sudan, Commander in Chief of SPLA, and Chairman of SPLM. Pagan Amum boldly demanded that President Salva Kiir hand over the power to him for lack of leadership and lost of direction to lead.
3) Lack of Public Support: Pagan Amum is facing a daunting task to win the support of South Sudanese public. The outrage of public outcry of hearing that Pagan Amum returned into South Sudan and assumed his former position is telling. Pagan Amum and the group sold a false story that they matter in South Sudan and therefore a solution to peace process. However, the truth is otherwise. Majority of South Sudanese seeing the return and reinstatement of Pagan Amum in to his former position as a foreign imposed puppet. Others could not still believe that Pagan was actually in Juba. Their response: it is a joke. Pagan Amum is yet to build a constituency of his own before he can get Support of South Sudanese populous.
4) Incompetence: Incompetence is what impedes Pagan Amum throughout his tenure as SPLM Secretary General. SPLM reform agendas were solely the responsibilities of SPLM National Secretariat, headed by Pagan Amum. Instead, Pagan Amum abandoned his sole responsibilities, chasing his ego here, corruption there, and misjudgement there, just to take over the leadership from his boss through all means possible.
As stated, those with treacherous behaviour will always create treachery along the road, in order for them to overcome.
Steve Paterno is the author of The Rev. Fr. Saturnino Lohure, A Romain Catholic Priest Turned Rebel. He can be reached at [email protected]